Parents Testify On Child Support

MIAMI — Joan Matteo was divorced four years ago and has been in and out of court 12 times since because her ex-husband has refused to pay the child support he owes.

Jim Roof was divorced about a year ago and is in debt because all his wages are going to support his daughter, whom his ex-wife never lets him see.

Both angry parents testified before a state commission in Miami Saturday about their frustrations with Florida`s child support system and what kinds of changes should be made.

The Florida Commission on Child Support, a 25-member panel appointed by the governor, held the public hearing as part of its investigation into the state`s child support system. The hearing was the second of five to be held around the state.

The commissioners are to present their findings and recommendations to Graham by Oct. 1.

Matteo, who is organizing chapters of Children Against Deadbeat Dads in South Florida, is a Miami secretary who supports her daughter, with her family`s financial help.

``My family helps support me. I`ve got loans. I`m late with bills. He`s ruined my credit,`` she said, noting that her ex-husband has not seen nor wanted to see their daughter in more than two years.

Matteo told the commission that eight contempt orders and one commitment order had been signed by the judge against her ex-husband, but he has never gone to jail.

Each time he is hauled into court, he pays a small portion of what he owes, and then stops sending the payments, she said. He now owes her a total of $7,000 in child support, she added.

``It`s a vicious cycle,`` she said. ``The judge is too lenient. He gives too many chances. My ex-husband never shows up to court, only his attorney does.``

Matteo asked the panel to recommend statutory changes that would require her ex-husband either to make his payments or be threatened with jail, without forcing her to go through numerous court battles.

Roof, an aircraft mechanic from Miami, also criticized the legal system, but told a different story.

``We`re not (all) deadbeat daddies. We`re people who love our children,`` he told the panel.

Roof said his court battles have gone on for more than a year, during which time his wife and child moved 150 miles away.

He said he now owes $15,000 in legal fees because his wife continues to take him back to court, out of what he calls ``vindictiveness.``

``The legal profession in the state of Florida are the ones that profit from a divorce,`` he testified.

Roof said his wife and her family refuse to let him call the child, making communications between father and daughter even more difficult.

``I just want access to my child. I tried for custody . . . But the judges suffer from a `Madonna Syndrome.` They feel the woman (automatically) deserves to have the child,`` he said.

Roof said visitation problems often cause the frustration among fathers, and frequently results in non-payment of child support.

He asked the commission to make changes in the law allowing mediation before litigation, to stop ``lining the pockets of attorneys.``

The commission, which heard public testimony all day, is looking into a number of issues, including standards for child support payments, the amount of support ordered by the courts, the need for more state or federal legislation to ensure support for children, and the enforcement of judges` orders.

Officials who work in child support enforcement said one of the major problems is in locating the absent parent who owes back child support.

``They feel they can leave the county, leave the state, and they`re protected,`` said Helen Reynolds, supervisor of Broward`s child support enforcmenet unit for the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. ``We have the ability to go out of state and we have the resources to track them, but they are time consuming, and it`s not an easy process.``

According to Reynolds, another severe problem is the lack of HRS staff to handle child support cases.

Reynolds said eight HRS investigators handle 800 to 1,000 active cases per person in Broward, although the total caseload is 30,000 cases.